Redemption Bound
by ankeny
Summary: Hanzo joins the Overwatch Recall and in doing so almost loses Genji a second time. There's too many things between them to work out overnight but circumstances might force them to try. Sometimes a man just has to swallow his pride and be there when his little brother needs him.
1. Chapter 1

_It was in the heat of battle, and Genji had once again inserted himself in the way of a death Hanzo rightfully deserved._

 _The air sizzled and ignited all at once as the explosive went live. His vision went bright as something sharp and heavy knocked into him. He hit the ground; skull colliding with the dirt and ash._

 _Things went numb; embers in the air and blood in his mouth. He should have died but something shielded him from the blast. A half-charred body lay on his chest and his heart jumped to his throat when he realized that it was Genji._

 _His armor plating was blackened and littered with shrapnel; his usual soft green glow flickering dangerously out of life. Someone was shouting in the distance, calling his name but Hanzo was losing focus; the world blurring out till it was nothing but his brother._

 _"Why-" His words came out choked in confusion, his fingers rough against Genji's armor as he rolled him onto his back. The visor had come off, and Genji's brown eyes were staring half-glassed to the sky._

 _"I couldn't let you die…brother…"his reply was quiet; dazed. He looked down at himself. "Where…is my leg?"_

 _Hanzo gaze turned to what was left of the limb, lying a few feet away from them._

 _"Oh…" He looked more disconcerted then in pain. Green fluids leaked from beneath Genji's plates and Hanzo suddenly realized that the only one bleeding was him. "Do not look so concerned…brother," the lights were beginning to fade. "Dr. Ziegler can fix me….she's done it before…"_

 _Suddenly there were bodies around him and hands grasping his shoulders. There was the familiar glow of golden wings and greying hair behind a mask. There were questions and horrified blue eyes but Hanzo couldn't respond to either of them; he could only stare at his brother, and the circuitry poking out from beneath his armor._

* * *

"This was slightly easier back in the old days, but I still have the schematics and Torbjorn has offered some of his resources…" Dr. Angela Ziegler's voice was a quiet hush in the medical room. Hanzo sat on the bed, white-knuckle gripping the edges as he half-watched the doctor confer with Solder 76 at the side of the room.

"Let me talk with him," 76's statement was gruff and dripping with something close to anger.

"Absolutely not, I am still running a basic check-up-"

"He looks fine to me." He moved past her indignant retorts, heading straight for Hanzo and he couldn't help but brace himself for what was coming.

It had been months since Hanzo joined the recall. Call it guilt; call it having nothing else to live for but he joined regardless and suddenly became allies with people he would have been enemies with under any other circumstance.

Regrets kept him to himself; working in such close proximity to his suddenly alive brother was something he…didn't quite know how to handle yet. Unfortunately, abrasion was a survival technique that only got him so far and there were a few personalities he rubbed against; Soldier 76 was one of them.

"So, when he wakes up are you going to thank him or continue skulking around with your one-man pity party?" 76 crossed his arms, his voice condescending.

Hanzo met him with a fire in his eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

"Ever since you joined up you hadn't quit with that lone-wolf attitude. I don't care what you do on your own, but on the battlefield when there's people depending on you to get their backs that sort of thing can get them killed. Your brother almost got himself killed for _your mistake_ and that's something I don't tolerate."

Tension sparked in the air as they stared each other down, like two wolves battling for dominance. Hanzo couldn't reply because there was too much truth to 76's words and the more he realized it the angrier he got.

He _had_ taken his own initiative on the mission, taking an unknown route away from the others in order to flank the enemy. It was against the plan and risky but Hanzo believed that if something went wrong he would be the only one to pay for it. He didn't expect Genji to follow him.

"If you can't learn to take orders and watch out for your team then you better get out right now. Or I'll throw you out." 76 made to get in his face, but a slender hand pressed against his chest in warning as Dr. Ziegler inserted herself into the fray.

"Enough," she chided sternly, looking incredibly exasperated. "I will not have you barging in here to scold my patients. If they need to be chastised, then I will be more than happy to do it myself."

"…sorry, Doc," 76 apologized awkwardly, submitting beneath her intense gaze.

"Besides," she turned to Hanzo, her expression suddenly unreadable but her touch was soft against his arm as she checked a bandage. "I think Mr. Shimada knows full well the consequences of his actions. They're right in front of him," her voice dropped, her eyes flickering over to the stasis tank across from them.

And suddenly there was a familiar pang in his chest as he stared at what was left of his brother floating between the bubbles and the wires. One leg was entirely gone, while the other had been taken away up to the knee. His left arm had been removed as well, and was currently sitting on a medical tray surrounded by various repair tools. The Doctor had removed whatever parts were damaged beyond repair, and left Genji in stasis until they could make sure his remaining systems for stabile enough to function.

Stasis. Systems. Spare parts. Those weren't terms used to refer to anything human…

And suddenly Hanzo was wondering how he looked on the night Overwatch found him; how broken he must have been. The pain that should have been eased by his brother yet he was the one who caused it…

"When will he be awake," Hanzo murmured, causing Angela to turn at his question, something in her eyes.

"Tomorrow, perhaps. I want to monitor him through the night. There was very little damage to his brain but I just want to make sure…" she trailed off as 76 placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It might be a few days till he gets back up to 100%," he intoned, an idea hanging on his breath. "Tell me, Shimada. 'You want to stay?"

His kept his eyes trained on Genji, his brow furrowing. "….yes."

"Tch. Then you are going to earn your keep. For the next few days, Genji is _your_ responsibility. And you better do whatever he wants, or your out." There was a dark chuckle beneath the mask as 76 sarcastically patted his back, and then left the room.

"What?" Hanzo's eyes widened incredulously. "I don't-"

"You better do as he says," Angela tried to repress a smile. "Good luck." And with that, she turned and left back to her office, leaving Hanzo alone with his thoughts as he waited for his brother to wake up.

* * *

 **((to be continued. please leave a comment if you liked what you read. thank you! ))**


	2. Chapter 2

**((hello! quick note here! sorry for the wait, but the second chapter is finally here! thank you for all the comments. I found them incredibly encouraging and wasn't expecting so much feedback. again thank you, and enjoy!))**

* * *

"It will be a few days. I'm sorry, Genji," Dr. Ziegler's tone was unusually heavy, and Hanzo couldn't help but note the way Genji's remaining fingers tightly gripped the sheets.

"Don't worry about me, Dr. Ziegler. I understand, and you have my thanks," his voice was even, yet his eyes were half-glazed; like his mind was lost somewhere else. Both his legs were missing, and the connection joints were left open to the air. There was a quiet nervousness about him, and they both seemed to notice it.

Sighing sympathetically, the doctor placed a delicate hand on Genji's shoulder, and Hanzo felt himself bristle at the odd familiarity between her and his brother. It was like he was intruding on something intimate…

"Are you sure? I want my patients to be honest with me. You are still recovering and currently missing several of your-"

"Doctor," his reply was soft. "It is only a few days. I will survive."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but finally gave in. "If you need anything, You know where to find me." And with that, she turned and left to complete the rest of her rounds, leaving the Shimada brothers to stew in their awkward silence.

"…I did not expect you to be here when I woke up, brother," Genji was first to speak as Hanzo began to pace. He couldn't look at him. Not yet.

"I did not want to be,' was the gruff reply. He didn't know any other way to put it.

"Then what is keeping you from leaving? I don't wish to force anything upon you. I know you prefer solitude and that's-"

"You know nothing," he shot back, irritation rising in his chest. What was left of Genji's face might have been covered in scars but his eyes were still as piercing and brown as ever. What was he trying to do? Extend his pity? Hanzo already owed him his life; he didn't need to be reminded of it. the subject needed to be changed. "…does it hurt?"

The sudden question seemed to surprise him. Slowly, he looked down. "My life support system isn't built to register copious amounts of pain. Besides…I don't really have nerves. Not anymore…"

And suddenly they were young boys again back in Hanamura. Genji was screaming; his arm fallen to the floorboards and he could no longer hold a sword but Hanzo wouldn't stop. Couldn't stop. He just kept cutting into him until there was nothing left but…

"…Hanzo?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." He brushed the memory aside and tried to hide his shaking hands. "There is nothing else for me here, I should leave." He turned to go, but his brother's voice stopped in his tracks.

"I do not wish to pressure you, but…" his voice faltered; some hidden emotion trembling underneath. "...could I request that you stay?"

76's visage flashed through Hanzo's mind, causing him to grit his teeth. You have a duty to perform. "…If I stay, it is only because of the debt I owe you. Nothing else," he huffed.

Genji seemed surprised that he actually agreed; relaxing slightly. "I would not ask any more of you, brother. Thank you." A tense silence fell between them. Genji's eyes bored into him, but when Hanzo refused to keep up the conversation, he decided to leave him to his brooding.

* * *

To Hanzo, Genji had seemed fine; somewhat shaken from the experience, but fine. What he didn't know was that his brother had waited till it was night to fall apart.

His eyes shot open as a noise cut through the near-empty medical bay. His heart leapt to his throat when he realized the bed next to him was devoid of his brother.

"Genji?"

Something scraped across the floor, prompting him to rise wearily from the chair he had been dozing off in.

A huddled mess sat on the cold tiles before him; fingers helplessly covering his face. Genji's usually reserved, yet confident front had crumbled against hitched breaths and quiet sobs.

Hanzo stood frozen in indecision; eyes wide. He didn't understand-couldn't understand the sudden emotional breakdown of his brother, and old instincts screamed at him to flee and allow someone else to patch up the pain; just like he did before.

"Genji…?" Despite his better judgment he had knelt down; hand tentatively reaching for the cyborg's shoulder. There was no warmth to his body, only cold metal and the gentle hiss of his chest vents.

"I am fine," he gasped, and attempted to pull away from the sudden touch; torso shifting helplessly. It was a difficult task; trying to move with only one limb attached to his body. "It is not like I haven't had repairs before...it's only a few days…I am fine…" his voice came out ragged; like he trying to convince more of himself than Hanzo.

"You are lying. Obviously something is plaguing you, or you wouldn't be in this position."

"Why the sudden concern?" He attempted an anxious laugh, but it was weighed down by a sudden sadness. "I did not expect you to change your attitude towards me so soon. What it because of what happened?"

"…you didn't have to save my life. "

"And you don't have to tend vigil over me. " Genji turned his scarred face towards the floor; cybernetic fingers pressed against the tile as he struggled to breath. "What is motivating you? Duty? Or could it be pity…"

An irritated scowl twitched at Hanzo's lips, but he didn't know who he was angry at; Genji or himself? Perhaps both. "Pity is only extended by fools," he replied. He was stumbling; He didn't expect the sudden moment of weakness and he was drowning in his brother's vulnerability. He was at a loss at what to do; feeling more like a stranger than close kin. "Whatever my reasons, I desire to know what's wrong."

Silence; then the answer shakily came out. "…I…don't like this…" his remaining hand pressed against his plates; his synthetic skin. "B-being useless like this…helpless…I-I can't…"His brown eyes flickered in panic. "It's just like before…"

"Before what?"

"…when I was first made this body." Back when Hanzo left Genji for dead and Dr. Zeigler had to take what parts were left and solder them back together

Back when Hanzo had fled for the hills; leaving his brother's half-corpse in the hands of what were originally their enemies.

It wasn't something he intrinsically thought about; how his brother must have felt during those early days; the pain of a broken body as strangers cut away at him, saving his life yet at the same time burning the old one in favor of something far more different. Despite the good intentions an operation like that still left scars.

And the blame lay all on Hanzo.

He almost didn't notice his brother give way. Instinctively, his arms shot out before Genji could properly fall over. He pulled him close, his plates cool against his chest as his head found the crook of Hanzo's neck. They sat like that for a while in the quiet medical bay, lost in shadow and dark thoughts as Genji's panic turned into soft shudders.

"…I did this to you,' Hanzo's voice was soft; yet strained.

"-and I have forgiven you for it…"

"Yet it still seems to plague you."

"…my body has advantages, but accepting it has been…difficult…I am usually at peace with it."

"Usually?"

"There are still some aspects that come back to haunt me…" he let out a tired breath. "Your skin must be warm. I wish I could feel it."

Hanzo's jaw tightened; a decision suddenly made. "Is there anything you need right now?"

"Well…my body can no longer take in most solids; but there are a few exceptions…" Genji almost sounded like his younger self. Almost.

"What do you want?"

"…I wouldn't mind some ice cream."

And that was how Hanzo ended up carrying Genji to the mess kitchen at 1 in the morning; shadows under his eyes and arms full of cyborg. He was glad none of the other members were up and about or he would have never heard the end of it. Embarrassment would have been his grave.

There were few words between them, but the tension had receded from the silence and Hanzo could at least meet his brother's eyes again. And when they were back in the medical bay and those eyes were finally closed, Dr. Ziegler decided to make an appearance at last.

"How is he?" She glided up from behind the archer, hair disheveled with a mug of coffee in her hands.

"Where were you? You claimed you were going to monitor him over night." Hanzo's voice was rough as he stood in front of his brother's bed, arms crossed.

"I wasn't lying; I was present the whole time. I just did not want to interfere," she admitted apologetically; looking away.

"Why?"

"…I needed to see if you really cared for him."

Her answer took him off guard. "I…don't understand."

"You could have called for me, yet you didn't. You took care of Genji by your own volition. It appears there's something beneath that 'frigid warrior spirit of yours' after all," her smile was teasing. "I think there's hope for you yet." Gently, she pressed a hand against his shoulder. "It is good to see you putting in an effort. Whatever you've done…your brother still needs you…"

And with that, she left him to stand in protective vigil over his brother. Like he should have done all those years ago.

 **End.**


End file.
